The
story of Victori a Boer exposes how leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses care little
about victims of abuse. Vicki went to court to prove that the organization was
negligent by pressuring her to not report her childhood abuse. Watchtower lawyers
by their admission spent close to $160,000 in donated Worldwide Work funds for
legal fees to see that she would never get one cent of compensation. Ultimately
when the Judge ruled a cash settlement in her favour of $5,000 the JW legal
team found a legal loophole to prevent one cent of that money going to her.
To read about how this was accomplished see these links,

There
are so many examples of dishonesty from leadership of this religion that claims
to have the moral high ground when it comes to doing what is right. Consider
the case of Frank Mott-Trill. Mr. Mott-Trill was an elder when Vicki came forward
later with her allegations. Frank supported and encouraged her to get assistance.
For so doing Frank was disfellowshipped for not following theocratic arrangement,
you see he went against directives of the Canadian Branch Office of Jehovah’s
Witnesses in refusing to cover up the abuse and encouraging Vicki not to. At
the trial Mr Mott-Trill was a key witness for Vicki, though disfellowshipped
he had attended meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses and applied for reinstatement
for over ten years. Yet he was never considered for reinstatement in the organization.
A few days before Mr. Mott-Trill was to testify he was contacted by the Watchtower
legal team. They offered him a bribe of $50,000 and automatic reinstatement
as a Jehovah’s Witness if he would walk away from his testimony. Mr. Mott-Trill
turned down the bribe and courageously testified as a witness on Vicki’s behalf.
When this was presented to the Judge the Watchtower legal team lied and said
the bribe never took place, once again showing their dishonesty in the name
of God.

This
Vicki Boer story was featured in the premier Canadian program, “The Fifth Estate.”

It
is interesting to note the comments of the Watchtower spokesman Clive Thomas
from the transcript of the program,

“The
trial lasted for two weeks in September. The judge is expected to rule on the
case any day now. Church spokesman Clive Thomas spoke to reporters at that time.

CLIVE
THOMAS (Church Spokesman): We very much feel for her. But we feel she should...
if she's suing anybody, should really sue the abuser and not the church and
the people in the church who tried to help her.”

So
we see there is no admission of wrong doing and as noted above there is little
to show any compassion for Vicki. Silentlambs followed up on the website with
a comment on this entitled “No compassion for Victori a Boer.” Below is a copy
of those comments,

NO
COMPASSION FOR VICTORIA BOER - Latest
newsletter (click here)
The following is a letter recently written by Watchtower of UK regarding
the Vicky Boer judgment in Canada . The letter is misleading as usual
in that Watchtower attorneys petitioned the court for legal costs in an apparent
attempt to punish her. The letter seems in indicate the court forced the
legal costs upon them as a result of law once again compassion for abuse survivors
is hard to find when "theocratic warfare" is employed to mislead the
public. (click here) to
read letter. (click here)
to read about the Vicky Boer case. If you would like to write a letter
or email to express your outrage at this decision
(click here) for information on how to do so. Transcript
court case

So
as can be seen from this information the truth comes through. Vicki was molested
by her father, Jehovah’s Witness elders covered it up at the direction of the
home office. When this was exposed they lied, bribed, and denied any wrongdoing.
When they were found negligent by the court they used a legal loophole to avoid
paying anything to a abuse survivor. A long time friend that worked for over
thirty years in helping abuse survivors made the comment, “Child molesters lie,
cry and deny when accused of abuse.” Since the inception of silentlambs we have
noted time and again how leadership follows the same course when they are confronted
with the abuse problem in the Jehovah’s Witness religion. When I wrote my letter
of resignation in December 2000 three times I pointed out it is “morally and
ethically wrong” to not stand for our children. You can read that letter at
this link, http://www.silentlambs.org/education/wtresignation.cfm

In
that letter was coined the expression “silentlambs” and later after some experience
with how the organization was treating their child molesters we called it a
“pedophile paradise.” When you look at the evidence presented in this case as
well as many others it is easy to see not only the reason but the justification
for such an egregious title. While it is true that it offends many JW’s to be
only religion known to carry this title, we encourage anyone that can prove
otherwise to do so. The record of the last five years stands as a testament
the pedophiles in the Jehovah’s Witness religion continue in their paradise
as leadership lies, cries and denies in their behalf. They spend millions of
dollars in donated funds in the courts to see their child molester’s rights
are protected while victims are ostracized and branded as evil.

As
you will note below, Palmer the man that molested Vicki remains a Jehovah’s
Witness in good standing and in his defense claimed that his “works of repentance”
were enough to justify his not being convicted as a child molester. Brother
Palmer goes door to door offering bible studies as part of his religious practice.
The church will support him in this as they have for the last twenty years.
How many families with young children has Brother Palmer studied with? How many
more will be exposed to this pedophile? At each hearing in Vicki’s trial thirty
to forty Jehovah’s Witnesses would attend the hearing dressed in their Sunday
best in support of Brother Palmer as they were instructed to do in this case
as well as many others.

So
all you pedophiles out there take note; if you want free access to children,
support in a fishing work to find new victims, a billion dollar religious corporate
legal team with unlimited donated funding to defend you in court, members that
will testify as character witnesses after you are convicted and even state they
wish you would baby sit their children, while in the church you remain innocent
for if a child accuses you the church requires that child to have an eye witness
before it can be believed, and if you move no member is allowed to know your
past history. You see while all Jehovah’s Witnesses look forward to a paradise
earth in the future, as a Jehovah’s Witness pedophile you can have your paradise
today.

Sadly
Watchtower policy on abuse has not changed as leadership remains stiff necked
when it comes to protecting children. What needs to change? Note this link,

This
has been requested of the Governing Body (leadership of JW’s) since 1992. Yet
to this day they refuse to fully enact any of these simple requests. Their lack
of action to protect children incriminates the supposed humility and righteousness
of these men.

We
hope through the work of silentlambs more Jehovah’s Witnesses and the public
will be better educated on the importance of taking proper legal action whenever
confronted with child molestation issues.

silentlambs

The
following are notes taken the day of the trial from a person present at the
hearing.

Started
out with discussion regarding the pre-sentencing report and the defense had
some minor objections regarding the wording of some comments.

Next,
the Crown prosecutor made his argument regarding sentencing stating:

Mr.
Palmer is not remorseful and feels that he himself is victimized therefore he
wouldn't qualify for the "exceptional circumstances" that would permit
him to get less time then the mandatory sentence of 3 years imprisonment.
He also requested he be listed in the sexual offender registry for 20 years,
provide a DNA sample for the registry, not to be alone with kids under 14 years
old for 10 years, and that Palmer continued to be monitored after sentencing.

Defense
then made their plea. Started discussing the victim impact statement and
that there was no doubt that Vicky had emotional trauma, however much that she
wrote in the impact statement dealt with her relationship with other family
members and were not directly caused by Palmer.

He
then stated that there were exceptional circumstances regarding the case and
that Palmer was victimized because Vicki controlled the time period of the proceedings
and "held it over Palmer's head" and took her time making the complaint
to the police. Since 2003, Palmer's name became "mud", he's
lost business and has suffered quite a bit financially.

There
was no objection to any of the auxiliary orders except the 4th regarding children
under the age of 14, as Palmer has no history of offending except with Vicky.

Says
that Palmer has already been serving sentence since 2003 and requested a conditional
sentence of 12 months.

Judge
asks if Palmer has anything to say ..

Palmer
says that he has been remorseful from day 1. Says that Vicky wrote that
she forgave him and that Palmer was remorseful. But that was prior to
1998 and things changed. He said that he proved he was remorseful by having
a relationship with Vicky and her kids up until 98 and this shows "works
that befit repentance"

Judge
asks for 20 minute break to review.

After
break Judge says there are specific principles in the criminal code for this
issue and the importance is protection of public and rehabilitation of the offender.

Stated
that the submissions from counsel were specific regarding sentencing with the
exception of "exceptional circumstances" when the abuse of a minor
must have a conditional sentence.

He
explained that the crown prosecutor stated there were no exceptional circumstances
and that 3 years penitentiary would be acceptable, but the defense states that
a 12 year conditional sentence would be acceptable because of "other processes"
that Palmer had to go through, referring to the civil case.

The
judge was under the view that exceptional circumstances DO exist, and that the
sentence is 2 years less a day to be served in the community. Also, auxiliary
orders are, weapons prohibition, DNA order, sex offender registry and at least
6 months of counseling.

Counsel
and defense were then to work out acceptable times for the house arrest curfew,
they broke for a recess for them to discuss it and that's when we left.

A
Jehovah's Witness who sexually abused his daughter was sentenced yesterday to
two years less a day to be served in the community in a case that cast a spotlight
on how the sect handles sex-abuse complaints within its ranks.

The
victim, Vicki Boer, said the sentencing of her father validates her allegations
and should force the Christian movement to face up to its shortcomings in handling
her abuse complaint.

"For
the first time, somebody believed me," Ms. Boer said of the judge. "It
makes [the elders] accountable. They've never had to be accountable," she
said in an interview from Fredericton .

In
June, Gower Palmer pleaded guilty in Ontario Superior Court in Orangeville to
one count of sexual assault. Orangeville is about 100 kilometres northwest of
Toronto .

However,
the court found he had abused his daughter on at least five separate occasions,
prosecutor Eric Taylor said yesterday.

Mr.
Taylor said he wanted Mr. Justice Emile Kruzick to impose a prison term in the
three-year range.

However,
in imposing a lower penalty, Judge Kruzick said Mr. Palmer had already been
punished by going through a lengthy civil suit. He will also be put on a sex-offender
registry and will have to go through counselling.

While
identifying sexual-abuse victims is normally prohibited, Ms. Boer wanted the
public to know her name. "This is a battle that I'm fighting for not even
just myself but for other kids," she said.

Now
a married mother of three pre-teen daughters, Ms. Boer said she hoped her criminal
and civil battles would force changes to how Witnesses deal with sexual abuse
within their ranks.

As
part of their beliefs, Jehovah's Witnesses reject anything political or "worldly"
that distracts from their focus on Christ and the Second Coming, which they
consider imminent.

Ms.
Boer, 34, was sexually assaulted by her father between ages 11 and 14.

Rather
than notify authorities, she claimed in an earlier civil suit that elders told
her not to seek outside help or report the abuse.

She
also said they forced her to confront her father to allow him to repent his
sins as outlined in Matthew Chapter 18, Verses15-18, a process she said was
abusive and traumatic.

In
1998, Ms. Boer sued the Jehovah's Witnesses through the Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society for $700,000, saying the abuse and how it was handled by the sect
almost drove her to suicide.

In
June of 2003, Madam Justice Anne Molloy ruled the Witnesses could not be held
responsible for all her pain and suffering.

Judge
Molloy found the church had not warned her against reporting the abuse, and
that only one elder had wrongly applied sect policy by persuading her to confront
her father.

She
did find the organization negligent in allowing untrained elders to hold the
meeting and awarded Ms. Boer $5,000 in damages.

"They
don't follow the [written] policies," said Ms. Boer, who abandoned the
faith in the early 1990s.

Spokesman
Mark Ruge disputed allegations that the Christian movement tries to deal with
abuse away from the prying eyes of outside authorities.

"We
abhor any sexual misconduct or abuse, especially when children are involved,"
Mr. Ruge said from Georgetown , Ont.

"We
abide by the letter of the law as far as legal requirements are in reporting
to the appropriate child-welfare services."

After
the civil trial, Ms. Boer overcame a reluctance to press charges against her
father, saying she wanted him held personally accountable for his actions.

A Jehovah's Witness
who sexually abused his daughter was sentenced today to two years less a day
to be served in the community in a case that cast a spotlight on how the church
handles sex-abuse complaints within its ranks.

The
victim, Vicki Boer, said the sentencing of her father validates her allegations
and should force the church to face up to its shortcomings in handling her abuse
complaint.

"For
the first time, somebody believed me," Boer said of the judge.

"It
makes (the elders) accountable. They've never had to be accountable," she
said in an interview from Fredericton .

In
June, Gower Palmer pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault in Ontario
Superior Court in Orangeville, Ont., about 100 kilometres northwest of Toronto
.

However,
the court found he had abused his daughter on at least five separate occasions,
prosecutor Eric Taylor said Monday.

Taylor
said he wanted Justice
Emile Kruzick to impose a prison term on Palmer in the three-year range.

However,
in imposing a lower penalty, Kruzick said Palmer had already been punished by
going through a lengthy civil suit. He will also be put on a sex-offender registry
and will have to go through counselling.

While
identifying sexual-abuse victims is normally prohibited, Boer wanted the public
to know her name.

"This
is a battle that I'm fighting for not even just myself but for other kids,"
she said.

Now
a married mother of three pre-teen daughters, Boer said she hoped her criminal
and civil battles would force changes to how Witnesses deal with sexual abuse
within their ranks.

As
part of their beliefs, Jehovah's Witnesses reject anything political or "worldly"
that distracts from their focus on Christ and the second coming, which they
consider imminent.

Boer,
34, was sexually assaulted by her father between ages 11 and 14.

Rather
than notify authorities, she claimed in an earlier civil suit that church elders
told her not to seek outside help or report the abuse.

She
also said they forced her to confront her dad to allow him to repent his sins
as outlined in Matthew 18:15-18, a process she said was abusive and traumatic.

In
1998, Boer sued the Jehovah's Witnesses through the Watch Tower Bible and Tract

Society
for $700,000, saying the abuse and how it was handled by the church almost drove
her to suicide.

In
June 2003, Justice Anne Molloy ruled the church could not be held responsible
for all her pain and suffering.

Molloy
found the church had not warned her against reporting the abuse, and only that
one elder had wrongly applied church policy by persuading her to confront her
father.

She
did find the organization negligent in allowing untrained elders to hold the
meeting and awarded Boer $5,000 in damages.

"They
don't follow the (written) policies," said Boer, who abandoned the faith
in the early 1990s.

Spokesman
Mark Ruge disputed Boer's allegations the church tries to deal with abuse away
from the prying eyes of outside authorities.

"We
abhor any sexual misconduct or abuse, especially when children are involved,"
said Ruge from Georgetown , Ont.

"We
abide by the letter of the law as far as legal requirements are in reporting
to the appropriate child-welfare services."

Following
the civil trial, Boer overcame a reluctance to press charges against her own
father saying she wanted him held personally accountable for his actions.